Epidemiology Meets Advocacy: Understanding Pediatric Dental Trauma and Delayed Care in Post-Conflict Syria

To evaluate the prevalence, risk factors, aetiology, and management of traumatic dental injuries (TDIs) among children aged 1-18 years attending the Department of Pediatric Dentistry, Damascus University, Syria, during 2023-2024, and to illustrate representative clinical cases with documented outcomes.

This retrospective cross-sectional study reviewed 2716 patient records (2023-2024) and identified 301 children with TDIs. Demographic, clinical, and behavioural variables were extracted and analysed using χ², t tests, ANOVA, and binary logistic regression (IBM SPSS v26).

The overall TDI prevalence was 11.08%. Males were over twice as likely as females to experience TDIs (OR = 2.30; 95% CI = 1.76-3.01; p < 0.001). Older age acted as a protective factor (OR = 0.56; 95% CI = 0.43-0.74; p < 0.001). Falls were the most common cause (63.7%), and injuries most often occurred at home (48.9%). The maxillary central incisors were most frequently affected (68.5% of cases). Children with special healthcare needs had significantly more traumatised teeth (mean = 2.61 ± 1.13) than healthy children (1.66 ± 0.92; p < 0.001). Nearly half of the patients (45.3%) presented > one month after injury, and asymptomatic apical periodontitis and reversible pulpitis were the most frequent diagnoses. Representative case presentations demonstrated multidisciplinary management using restorative, endodontic, and orthodontic approaches with favourable follow-up outcomes.

TDIs affected about one in nine children in this Syrian cohort. Male gender, younger age, and previous trauma were key risk factors. The predominance of delayed presentation underscores the need for community education, early referral systems, and targeted preventive programs within school and home environments.